The BreakLine Arena

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for a life-changing conversation with lifelong activist, Professor Loretta J. Ross. Loretta Ross is an award-winning, nationally-recognized expert on racism and racial justice, women's rights, and human rights. Her work emphasizes the intersectionality of social justice issues and how intersectionality can fuel transformation.Ross is a visiting associate professor at Smith College (Northampton, MA) in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender, teaching courses on white supremacy, race and culture in America, human rights, and calling in the calling out culture.She has co-written three books on reproductive justice: Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organize for Reproductive Justice, winner of the Outstanding Book Award by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights; Reproductive Justice: An Introduction, a first-of-its-kind primer that provides a comprehensive yet succinct description of the field and puts the lives and lived experience of women of color at the center of the book; and Radical Reproductive Justice: Foundations, Theory, Practice, Critique. Her current book, Calling In the Calling Out Culture, is forthcoming in 2021.Ross appears regularly in major media outlets about the issues of our day. She was recently featured in a New York Times piece, "What if Instead of Calling People Out, We Called Them In?"She was a co-founder and the National Coordinator, from 2005 to 2012, of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, a network of women of color and allied organizations that organize women of color in the reproductive justice movement. Other leadership positions have included:National Co-Director of the April 25, 2004 March for Women’s Lives in Washington D.C., the largest protest march in U.S. history with more than one million participants.Founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Human Rights Education (NCHRE)Program Research Director at the Center for Democratic Renewal/National Anti-Klan Network where she led projects researching hate groups and working against all forms of bigotry with universities, schools, and community groupsFounder of the Women of Color Program for the National Organization for Women (NOW) in the 1980sLeading many women of color delegations to international conferences on women's issues and human rights.Ross is a rape survivor, was forced to raise a child born of incest, and is a survivor of sterilization abuse. She is a model of how to survive and thrive despite the traumas that disproportionately affect low-income women of color. She is a nationally-recognized trainer on using the transformative power of Reproductive Justice to build a Human Rights movement that includes everyone.Ross serves as a consultant for Smith College, collecting oral histories of feminists of color for the Sophia Smith Collection which also contains her personal archives.She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and holds an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law degree awarded in 2003 from Arcadia University and a second honorary doctorate degree awarded from Smith College in 2013. She is pursuing a PhD in Women’s Studies at Emory University in Atlanta. She is a mother, grandmother and a great-grandmother.Can you also check out her inspiring TED Talk "Don't call people out -- call them in" here.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena for moving conversation with Ellie Fields, Chief Product & Engineering Officer at SalesLoft.In this episode, Ellie provides insight into leadership lessons she has learned over the course of her life in addition to importance of navigating her career with a sense of empowerment.Ellie is a seasoned product veteran with a strong analytics and intelligence background, who previously served as the Senior Vice President of Product Development at Tableau. Ellie graduated from Rice University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Policy Studies, and also holds an MBA from Stanford. If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena for an inspiring and insightful conversation with Katie Burke, Chief People Officer at HubSpot. In this episode, Katie shares how early childhood lessons informed her leadership style, what factors informed her decision to join HubSpot, and ultimately how she helped the company strategically build a world-class culture. As Chief People Officer, Katie manages the teams responsible for delivering a remarkable and inclusive candidate and employee experience. During her time leading people initiatives at HubSpot, the company has been named the #1 Best Place to Work by Glassdoor, the #1 Best Place to Work for Women by Comparably, and a Best Place to Work for Parents by Fortune. Prior to her current role, Katie started HubSpot’s culture team and oversaw global communications during the company’s IPO. Before joining HubSpot, Katie was the Director of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships at Athletes’ Performance (EXOS) and a Director at the Glover Park Group. She attended Bates College and holds an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Katie serves on the board of Paycor, and as an advisor to Biospring Partners and 826 Boston.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share tech industry insights, hear from industry titans, and celebrate the stories of our amazing alumni community. In this episode we have the opportunity to hear from BreakLine alum, Jaishri Atri.In this conversation, Jaishri shares the wisdom that informed her childhood as well as how she has continued to evolve as a leader over the course of her career. She has an extensive background as a scientist, lab researcher, consultant, and business specialist. Jaishri recently joined Benchling where she will have the opportunity to leverage her wide range of talents as a Implementation Consultant. If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in the BreakLine Arena as we celebrate our 2021 Summit with Silicon Valley pioneer and trailblazer, Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube.In this conversation Susan provides invaluable insight from her journey joining what at the time was a little known start-up named Google (she was Employee #16), to ultimately leading the company's acquisition of YouTube, a move that is widely regarded as one of the most successful acquisitions of all-time.Susan has served as Chief Executive Officer of YouTube, a digital video platform and subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (previously Google Inc.), since February 2014. She joined Google as its marketing manager in 1999, and after serving in various positions in marketing, from April 2011 to January 2014, Susan served as Google’s Senior Vice President of Advertising & Commerce. Prior to joining Google, she worked at Intel and served as a management consultant at both Bain & Company and R.B. Webber & Company. Susan received an A.B. in History and Literature from Harvard University, an M.S. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.You can also view the entirety of this conversation on YouTube with the link below:2021 BreakLine Summit with Susan Wojcicki (YouTube Link)

As we conclude this year’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, BreakLine Education would like to honor all of our Hispanic & Latinx alumni and partners.We also invite our entire community to join us in celebration by listening to a phenomenal conversation led by our very own Director of Admissions, Sergio A. Padilla. Sergio sat down with two of our amazing alumni, Muriel Payan and Eric Gonzalez, to learn more about their origin stories and what it means to be a Latinx professional in the tech industry.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we dive into a fascinating conversation with Alation CEO and co-founder, Satyen Sangani.In this episode, Satyen provides deeper insight into his entrepreneurial journey while also sharing the wisdom which has guided some of the most significant decisions in his life.In founding Alation, Satyen aspired to help people dispassionately observe the world around them, empowering them to passionately work to improve it. Before Alation, Satyen spent nearly a decade at Oracle, where he ran the Financial Services Warehousing and Performance Management business. Prior to Oracle, Satyen was an associate with the private investment firm, Texas Pacific Group and an analyst with Morgan Stanley & Co. He holds a Master's in economics from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor's from Columbia University.Satyen will also host an upcoming podcast, Data Radicals - be sure to check it out on your favorite podcast streaming platform.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we dive into a fascinating and empowering conversation with Carrie Siu Butt, CEO of SimpleHealth.Carrie leads SimpleHealth with a patient and people mindset. SimpleHealth is focused on providing Access and Expert Care to allow people to realize their potential through a healthy reproductive system. Carrie has spent her career in strategy and finance in some of the world's most exciting brands. As a Black and Chinese disabled woman, she is intimately aware of the perils of our healthcare system, and is dedicated to improving healthcare access in America.If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us in The BreakLine Arena as we share tech industry insights, hear from industry titans, and celebrate the stories of our amazing alumni community. In this episode we have the opportunity to hear from BreakLine alum, Addison Bohannon.A lifelong learner, Addison is no stranger to stretching himself in order to accomplish difficult tasks.Originally from a small city in Wisconsin, the seeds of Addison’s insatiable curiosity were originally planted during childhood trips to the Saint Louis Science Center with his loving grandfather. Fascinated by the rotating science exhibits, Addison dreamt of one day becoming a paleontologist or astronomer before a conversation with his eighth grade English teacher led him to consider attending one of our nation’s Service Academies. Addison graduated in the top 5% of his class at the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Mathematical Sciences and Physics before commissioning as an Infantry Officer. He then completed the rigorous United States Army Ranger School prior to deploying and leading an Airborne Infantry platoon in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon completion of his military service, Addison’s curiosity and desire to solve complex problems led him to the U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, where he ultimately managed a multi-disciplinary team of 20+ scientists and engineers. In his role as Branch Chief, Addison oversaw research projects in computer vision, natural language processing, machine learning, and multi-user AR/VR.Keeping in theme with tackling tough tasks, Addison subsequently decided to pursue a Masters and Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, Statistics, and Scientific Computation from the University of Maryland. When asked about this period of his life, Addison shared, “Completing the Ph.D. program forced me to apply myself seriously, and with as much vigor and energy as I could at risk of failure.” Spoiler alert: Addison did not fail.Dr. Bohannon now serves as a Senior Data Scientist at Gusto, where he leverages that same vigor and energy towards helping the rapidly growing company apply machine learning to their most difficult business challenges and opportunities. Addison was first introduced to Gusto during his BreakLine Education programming and was supported throughout his career transition by amazing champions like John Kempe, Dominic Gonzalez-Padron, and fellow BreakLine alum Ryan Kappedal. If you like what you've heard please like, subscribe, or rate The BreakLine Arena on your preferred streaming platform! We would also love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or recommendations on the content we are creating. Feel free to reach out to us at questions@break-line.com.To learn more about BreakLine Education visit us at breakline.org.

Join us for an engaging conversation with Sami Inkinen, CEO and Co-Founder of Virta Health. Hear about his Finnish upbringing and work ethic, the motivation behind Virta Health's innovative approach to diabetes care, and his rowing adventure from California to Hawaii. Discover the significance of small improvements, the impact of COVID-19 on the company, and the correlation between exercise and success.